


The Red Thread of The Walking Dead

by Sinlesschick6



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, M/M, Not A Fix-It, Past Relationship(s), Red String of Fate, Soulmates, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-30 01:03:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8512792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinlesschick6/pseuds/Sinlesschick6
Summary: There's one thing that will lead you to the other soul that makes yours whole.A crimson thread tied to the very tip of your pinky finger on your dominant hand.Rick knows his soul mate is somewhere out there, surviving just the same as him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer~ I own nothing.

There's one thing that will lead you to the other soul that makes yours whole. Something that bonds you with another at the beginning of life, tugging you closer and closer as you grow. So sacred. So cherished. By all.  
A crimson thread tied to the very tip of your pinky finger on your dominant hand. Light air, and blows with the wind. So thin, it's hard to believe that time and travel never wore it down. It never cut, ripped, or tore. A spiritual bond never really could, not even the termination of a life ended it, nor the beginning of an undead one. They changed colors, black as night when one soul had finally passed, red splattered a nasty black/brown/green when they were left undead, turning black once the undead life was concluded as well. Its soul finally put to rest.

Wrapped in knots, twisted with each bend that life through each partner, the bigger the trials, the bigger and more impossible the knot grew. But never, not once, did one break. Not the string, and certainly not the bond. 

 

Each being could see their own thread, but each could also could choose to let all see their half of the thread, even when their soul mate did not. But once you let it out in the open, you couldn't take it back. You were committing full devotion to the thread. It was a fickle thing.

If your soul mate chose to keep their thread to themselves, but you do not, that gave them the ability to find you and know first that you two were bonded. That means they either had the chance to finish the threaded connection, or move on. No one's ever heard of a soul mate finding their one and only and choosing not to bond. But then again, they kept their thread a secret, so how would anyone truly know?

When you get bit, just after the sickness beings, is when fate chooses to publicize your thread, maybe that one last hope going out, tugging your soul mate, calling them to come and see you before you're gone. And choose to end the tortured walker soul you become.

 

When you die, your thread becomes black, and an indescribable pain washes over your soul mate. Not just emotionally, but physically it's like something being ripped out of you, no matter if you knew each other or not. Then and only then does your soul mate have the chance to make the thread go away for all eyes but theirs, so that they may mourn in peace. 

 

 

 

Rick Grimes was one of few people who may have prematurely opened his thread to be viewed out in the public. All because maybe, and at the time through his pubescent adolescents it was a sure thing, that his freshman year crush was definitely his soul mate. So he took the risk, and the risk got to him. Lori, with her long brown hair and thin sculpted body was not his soul mate. But she found it charming that someone would do that for her, especially when her soul mate had died when she was only 5 years of age, before she really believed in it. So they ended up staying together through that, with her black thread and his red one hanging loose, wondering, looking for its other half, even when Rick still wanted to believe that he'd found his.

 

 

Glenn was someone who left his thread out for the world as well. He wanted the person out there to know he already loved them without a doubt.  
Maggie told Glenn she loved him, and Glenn didn't know how to respond, other than "I'm waiting for my soul mate, I'm sorry."  
She called him an idiot, which the boy was, but then true feelings flourished even more and the connected thread was apparently to all. And honestly, Maggie and Glenn were what everyone looked for in soul mates. The poster couple for the red thread.

 

 

 

When Lori died Rick's thread still stayed bright red, but he felt as if part of his soul was broken away.  
A large knot entwined through a near part of the thread, tugging at parts he couldn't see. He knew whoever was on the other end of this, could definitely feel the pull of his heartache. He sort of felt bad for his bonded, they must have dealt with a lot of pain from his end, and he wondered if they felt the rejection when he wanted so badly for his wife to be on the other end of that string. He kept on moving, feeling the occasional lurch coming from the other side, seemed that they were moving as well. Surviving.

 

 

Threads often became an annoyance. That's why Rick liked to send a machete chop right through most walkers that crossed his path. Eventually, after so much time, through so many threads, you come to ignore a lot of them. As long as yours shines a vibrant red.

 

 

Michonne showed up at the prison, a matted, green brown diseased ridden thread trailing her. Rick asked her about her thread later, much later, Alexandria later, falling for each other later, why she kept her soul mate alive when she knew she could end it for both of them, that the bond could rest. 

 

 

"I used it to torture him. In some way, if the bond still felt on his end, maybe he'd feel how much I blame him."

 

 

"For what?"

 

 

"Andre." She stared at nothing for a few moments. "But in a way, I was also wanted myself to remember. And in the end, I learned that I was just keeping a wound open, because I wasn't letting myself be ready to heal."

 

 

"That's why you went back, other than to get back at The Governor?"

 

 

"I needed to let go, yes." She said sadly, but with a small on her lips.

 

 

Why couldn't his thread be tied at the end of her little finger, and hers on his?

 

 

 

Rick felt more and more tugs as time went on. When they were introduced to Hill Top, and especially when they killed off many of the Saviors, he felt like his arm wanted to jerk out of its socket. He'd never felt so close before. But he ignored it, he had to, he couldn't afford a distraction in the midst of all this. 

 

 

But in the back of Rick's mind he wondered if his soul mate would show up any day now.

 

 

 

Maggie started feeling sick when her thread began to visibly shudder. They weren't worrying about the group that followed Daryl. There wasn't much time to after all, not when it wasn't just the bond harming Maggie, but some complications with the baby as well.

 

 

They weren't expecting trouble, and Rick wasn't expecting the crimson line attached to him to seem as if it were putting him in even more. Each instinct he made, almost could have been blamed on the jerk of thread. Each turn seemed as if it were all destined my the bond. 

 

 

It was worse than he'd thought.

 

 

They ran through the dark forest, carrying Maggie in a small cot, just trying to get somewhere safe, but then the whistling began. In every direction, it pushed them where he was meant to go, it even seemed that his thread was pulling him the same way. But Rick ignored that, blaming it on the settling fear in his gut.

 

 

They ran into a gap between tree, the whistling echoed, lights shone in their eyes, and they were surrounded by more men than they could count.

 

 

 

 

The crimson thread, usually lively whisking through the air, dropped to the ground in front of where he and his people were forced to kneel. It bounced at the beat of his pounding heart. It was stretched as tight as its knot ridden self could go. 

 

They screwed with the wrong people, and now they were paying the price.

 

 

"Whelp, let's meet the man." 

 

 

Everyone was shaking by the time the man in charge stepped out of their RV. "Pissing our pants yet?" He chuckled, carrying a bat wrapped in barbed wire over his shoulder. 

 

Rick's heart beat a harder out of his chest, his thread straining more and more. 

 

"Which one of you pricks is the leader?" 

 

One man pointed him out.

 

 

"Hi." The man walked coolly over, kicking gravel around. He stopped right in front of him, sparing his soul thread a glance, before stomping on it. "You're Rick right. I'm Negan. And I do not appreciate you killing my men."

 

It didn't have nerves, but Rick somehow felt as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. 

 

 

Sweat dripped from his hair to his face as Negan explained his new world order. He's never felt this much out of control, not once, through any of his past trials. He could already see the thread spiraling itself into a twisted ball.

 

 

"So now, I'm gonna beat the holy hell out of one of you."

 

 

Negan taunted them giving them all a once over, until he finally decides to make a game out of it all.

 

 

And the game ends with Abraham Ford. Abe. 

 

Abe raises two fingers as Negan is talking. Just as those fingers rise, a bright red thread forms around his pinky, in an instant the thread is zooming around to his left and Sasha cries. Her half isn't visible, but from the agonizing sounds she makes, the group all knows that Abe's is connected to hers. 

 

And then the bat connects with his head, knocking him down, but he gets back up. 

 

"Taking it like a champ!" Negan hackles.

 

"Suck. My. Nuts." Blood is dripping from his ginger locks. 

 

 

Then he's hit again, and again. Over and over until his body no longer spasms and his face is no longer a face. He's no longer recognizable. And his thread fades to black, then vanishes into the night.

 

 

Negan's laughs at Abraham's last words. The bat flinging, blood smacking Rick in the cheek, making him jump.

 

 

Then Daryl attacks him. Negan is pissed.

 

 

Then Glenn's hit with Lucille, everyone screams and Maggie cries out. Negan leaves Glenn like that for a moment, getting in his face and mocking him as he makes noises, struggling to speak. Glenn turns and everyone sees his scalp peeled back, blood everywhere, and his eye popped out of its socket. "Buddy, are you still there? I just don't know. It seems like you're trying to speak... but you just took a hell of a hit! I just popped your skull so hard your eyeball just popped out... and it is gross as shit!"

 

"Ma- Maggie" he shakes, choking out the words. "I'll find youu."  
Maggie loses it all. Then Glenn's hit again. The sound of bat hitting skull, the blood spraying, and their sobs echo through the trees. 

 

The string between the lovers flashes between its previous vibrant red and the dark death of black as if while Glenn's body twitches, reflexes still at work, that his soul still tries to fight to stay. Maggie collapses into the ground, body lurching with sobs, they all can see the waves of pain hitting her like stones. Negan finishes using Glenn's corpse for batting practice when it finally goes dark and stays dark.

 

 

"Lucille is thirsty!" Negan chuckles. "She is a vampire bat."

 

 

 

Rick blinked back his tears, but they spilled anyway. "Wha?" Negan walks in front of him, stepping on his thread again, knowing the painful reaction it gained him. "Was my joke that bad?" 

 

 

It takes Rick everything inside him to lift his eyes from his shrinking, ball of a thread, and glance up at the man who just murdered his friends. But he does it. "I'm going to kill you." His voice sounded so fragile, so far away. 

 

 

His thread nudged, but not from his side.

 

 

He glances to his right, sees mangled corpses along with broke down loved ones, and that black thread that used to shine red like no other he'd seen before. 

 

 

Then the bloodied bat comes to view, bits of his friends still dripping off of the weapon. Then Negan crouches down in front of him. "What?" Rick looks into the man's eyes, trying to still appear tough. "I didn't quite catch that, you're gonna have to speak up." Teeth shining as the man grins at him.

 

 

Rick's face twitches as he licks his lips and looks down once more at his soul threat, he'd hope this wasn't the last time it gave off a crimson color, hopefully he'd make it out of all this alive and finally they'd meet. But now he needed to worry about his people. He looked Negan straight in the face, pushing back all his threatening emotions. "Not today. Not tomorrow." And this, he gets extra close to Negan's face to say. "But I'm going to kill you."

 

 

Negan's face doesn't even flicker, he never loses composure and never looks away from Rick's blue, bloodshot eyes. He sucks in air between his teeth and lips, making a strange noise. "Jesus." He whispers. "Simon." His voice is louder now, almost making Rick jump, but he tries to hold his ground. "What'd he have on him, a knife?" He's asks, not once breaking eye contact with Rick.

 

 

"Hmm." A deep voice hummed behind him. "He had a hatchet." 

 

 

Negan looks up and behind Rick at the man he called Simon. A comical look on his face. "Uhhh hatchet?" He asked, as if it were some sort of joke.

 

 

"He had an axe." Simon answered.

 

 

Negan's attention is back to Rick. "Simon's my right hand man. Having one of those is important. I mean, what do you have left without him? A whole lot of work. You have one? Maybe one of these fine people still breathing?" He fakes a sympathetic gasp. "Ohh, or did I-" The man raises the blood covered Lucille and imitates a knocking sound. 

 

Rick shudders.

 

Negan let's out a loud sigh when Rick does nothing. "Sure." He smiles. "Yeah, gimme his axe." 

 

 

Simon passing his weapon over Rick's shoulder and to Negan. Who just holds it there. Right in front of Rick's face. He waits, crouching in front of him in a threatening, playful manner, staring over the hatchet at him for what feels like forever. Until Rick finally breaks the stare. Then the larger man gets up and puts the weapon away through his belt. Rick's face is facing the other man's crotch, but he's spaced out, thinking about just how much trouble he's put himself and his people in. Making some of their thread go lifeless.

 

 

Suddenly he's yanked away before he can even do anything. "Be right back." He's kicking just to try to get his footing as Negan grabs him by his jacket collar and pulls drags him along with one arm. Never has he felt so small. He flips around, catching a small glimpse of his friends and then his soul thread, it's never seen so short. Was this what it looked like when someone was about to die?

 

 

"Maybe Rick will be with me. If not, wellllll, we can just turn these people inside out. Won't we?" Negan looks back, just in front of the open trailer door. "I mean, the ones that are left." Then tosses Rick into the RV like he's a toy.

 

 

Negan kicks him while he's down.

 

 

He's left gasping on the floor, the red string escaping onto the floor. He wanted so badly to pull his thread into him, to keep it safe burrowed inside him. Protect it and protect the one of the on the other side, knowing they could feel the tugs of his pain. He was sorry for them. They didn't deserve someone like him. He was a wreck, and an murderer of soul bonds. 

 

 

Poor Maggie. Poor Sasha. It wasn't fair.

 

 

Negan smacks Rick's weapon into the table counter and he jumps. 

 

 

He leaves him on the floor and sits down in the driver's seat, turning the key. It doesn't start. "Wow! What a piece of shit." He looks at Rick in the review mirror. "'I'm gonna kill you.'" He says, tone gravely, mocking Rick. He laughs, truly enjoying his own game. "I you kidding me? Did you see what just happened? What I just did? And you just-" Negan sighs.

 

Rick's putting all his weight on his feet, looking at Negan, looking at the hatchet stuck in the table, he's ready to pounce. 

 

Negan knows, and he's taunting him, telling him to do it. To kill him. 

 

 

He jumps up and it's already in his hand and ready in an instant, his thread tugs at him slightly. Just enough to distract him. It doesn't matter, Negan's already up, pointing his gun at him

 

"Drop it."

 

 

He doesn't want to, he knows he can't win. His soul thread is tugging at him. It suddenly feels like it's controlling him. Rick drops his weapon, it thumping the floor heavily, and stares at the man with his gun pointed at him. Maybe this is it. The end.

 

Negan hits him, knocking him to the floor once more. Rick gasps in pain. The axe goes through the table, but Rick was sure it was about to go into his neck instead. "Don't make me get up again." He threatens.

 

 

He drives them out, on this brand new day, through the smoke. Negan cheers as he hits walkers with the RV, goop from their bodies splashing onto the windshield. 

 

 

The vehicle stops, and the walkers groan and growl outside, wanting to get in and pick them apart. Rick kind of wants them to. But he remembers the threat Negan gave them if he doesn't come back with him, alive. 

 

 

Negan takes a seat down next to him, looking at him in a possessive manner. "You are mine. People back there, they are mine. This." Negan raises the hatchet in front of him, twirling it around. "This is mine."

 

Negan gets up, opens the door and tosses the weapon onto the trailer roof. "Hey Rick. Go get my axe. Let's be friends."

 

Rick doesn't even look in his directions. 

 

A walker heads straight for the door, but Negan hits it with his bat before it even touches him. 

 

Lucille is put in Rick's face, he can see all the blood, and smell it. "Get. My. Axe."

 

 

Rick finally gets up, it takes a lot to even use his legs, then he's shove out of the door. He hits the pavement hard. But he doesn't have time to waste, walkers circling in all directions. All but from behind, where his soul thread seems to be trailing behind him, almost pulling him back, but he'd blamed that on his exhaustion at the time.

 

 

He finally gets up and around to the top of the RV, falling, gasping his hatchet. Breaking down.

 

 

"Bet you thought you were all gonna grow old together. Sitting around a table at Sunday dinner in a happily ever after. Bet you'd all thought you'd find your fucking soul mates too." Negan says from inside the RV. "No. It doesn't work like that. Not anymore." 

 

 

"Bring me my axe!"

 

 

He really doesn't know how he manages, but he gets Negan the axe. Yes, saving his loved ones played a big part in it. But his energy levels were completely drained. But he did it. Negan 'helped' him out when things were getting too rough. And his soul mate unknowingly must have been leading him back to the RV, tugging him through the smoke and hoard of walkers in the directions he needed to take to survive. The red thread being easy enough the follow. 

 

 

Wait. He was seeing more than the parts he grew used to. He was seeing things. 

 

 

Negan fired shots around him, killing most of the walkers surrounding him, he stumbled onto the ground.

 

 

He got up, jumped into the RV, and slammed the door behind him. His arm felt a tug while he tried to catch his breath. When he lifts his head, it's to glare at Negan and hand him the retrieved axe. But instead he drops it, out of shock, and he's breathing becomes even more erratic, to the point of him not being able to breathe. He's backing away. "Nonononono." He mutters through the air trying to get in and out of his lungs.

 

 

Negan stands there, a smug smile growing on his face while he watches Rick fall apart in front of him. The man's usually glove hand is now bare, still open in front of him, waiting for the axe to be handed back. And there, on his small finger, is a tightly woven crimson thread. And at the end of his is the beginning of Rick's.

 

 

Rick's vision is spinning and he drops to the floor, and his sight is going dark. But before it can, through the ringing in his ears, he hears Negan. 

 

 

"Atta boy. Soul douche."

 

 

 

 

Rick regains consciousness when the vehicle comes to a stop. He jumps up, but too fast, and he collapses down into the nearest seat. He glances and sees the bloodied axe returned to the table, but then he squeezes his I shut, remembering all the things that occurred up until this point, and he doesn't dare open his eyes. 

 

 

"Oh. Good. You're awake. I didn't think my soul mate was such a fucking sleepy head, on account of all the times this damned thread shit drags me around." Negan clenched his leather clad hand, watching the soul thread dance. "This must be hard for you, right?" 

 

 

"No. It's not possible." Is all Rick can say, he's so tired. How can he be sure this is even real?

 

 

"Yeah, 'm afraid it is possible, dick head."

 

 

Rick finally opens his eyes and follows his crimson string, his soul sting, the string that led him to his one and only soul mate. And his one and only soul mate was Negan. The man who just beat him, murdered his friends, and tortured him. 

 

Negan shuffles about, opening all the cabinet and drawers, pulling out a the first aid kit. "Oh, goodie." He tosses the rubbing alcohol then catches it, completely ignoring how shocking the new was.

 

 

"You- you knew? You- my- we're." This was never a possibility for Rick. 

 

 

 

"Feeling fucked?" Negan chuckled in his ear, Rick felt his hot breath over him and wanted to puke. "Good. Cuz it's about to get even fuckin better." Negan rips the hatchet out of the table once more.

 

 

"Why? Why would you, if you knew?" Rick says uneasily, still not able to wrap his head around the idea of his soul mate. He's clenching pinky tight.

 

 

"Because-" Negan wipes the excess blood off on Rick's jacket, making Rick feel sick. "This ain't personal, Rick. It just is. And what it is, is the new order. We can work out the details of this-" Negan points to the visible red thread between them. "Later. Now, you can still lead a nice productive life producing for me." The larger man takes a seat across from Rick, staring him down while he sweats. "Might even run into time to spare time to supply other things." Negan glances him over. 

 

 

"There's no way that'll happen." Rick grits through his teeth, unable to suppress the shiver that goes through him under Negan's watchful eyes. 

 

 

"Maybe not now. Hell I can't blame you! But soon you'll see that this thing is fucking unavoidable. Then you'll find that working for me, being mine, is VERY rewarding."

 

 

He feels his tears falling, he doesn't want to cry, not in front of this ass hole, not for this ass hole. The idea, his dreams and wishes are tainted. "Screw you." Rick chokes out.

 

 

"You say the word, and I'm there." Negan winks.

 

 

Rick pulls back, turning away in disgust. 

 

 

"But not until then. I hope you don't keep me waiting too long." Negan finishes cleaning the axe and holds it out to Rick. Rick eyes it, but all he can see is the thread that ties them together. Taunting him. "I think you're gonna need it. I just gotta feelin." He sings, a smile with twisted desire plays about his face, then slowly it drops into something more serious and sinister. "So take it."

 

 

Rick blinks back more tears threatening to fall and takes the weapon, head down. The feeling of his little finger in such a close proximity to Negan's is explosive, it's like the thread is reeling him closer, some want or need to touch. But he had to fight it.

 

 

 

Rick is tossed out of the RV once again, holding onto his weapon for dear life. Before he can even pull himself up on his hands and knees, Negan has him from the back of his coat and he pulling him, dragging him around like a dog.

 

"Here we are." Negan tosses him hard, making it difficult to pull himself up. "Let me ask you somethin, Rick. Do you even-"

 

Everyone gasps. Not just the people of Alexandria, but many of the Saviors as well. 

 

Rick knows they can all see it now. That these two leaders, two enemies, are soul mates. That there's a sacred, unbreakable bond between them, one provided by destiny. He glances up at his people, to see if they're all there, alive, and regretfully, to see their reactions. Carl looks at the soul thread in confusion. Aaron just looks terrified. Rosita isn't even looking at it, but looks like she's about to be sick any second now. Daryl is glancing at it, then Rick, then Negan, and back, like he just can't believe it. Maggie, still so sick from her pains and from the damaged soul bond, so it's hard to tell, when sees the red and just gives Rick a face that comes off as betrayed. Sasha isn't sparing it a glance, just glaring daggers at Negan. Eugene is a mess. And Michonne. His Michonne is breathing heavy, her hair a in her face, a tear shining in her eye. It's hard to read what she's thinking. It's too much, so Rick puts his head down, ashamed.

 

 

 

"Oh, right. Everyone can see this shit now." Negan drags a hand down his beard. "Alright, new plan! How fun will it be watching me kill my own soul mate?" He laughs already swinging his bat.

 

 

There's gasps and yells around him, coming from whom, he's not quite sure.

 

 

"You don't have to do this, it doesn't have to be this way. We can just go. We'll go-" Michonne begs.

 

 

"You'll go, when I say you can go!" Negan growls, making her jump.

 

 

"Negan. Sir." One Savior steps out from the side. "You'll end up hurting yourself if you kill the guy. Soul bonds are stronger than they seem."

 

 

Negan whips his head back, making the unknown follower back away in fear. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you think I'm a fucking moron." 

 

 

"Uhh no, I didn't mean to-" 

 

 

Lucille is cracking him open before he can finish his sentence. People scream. His cheek is torn off, so much that you can see his teeth and tongue through the blood. Then the man is choking, already on the ground. Negan his him again, and again. Until the choked gasps stop. 

 

 

"Did you see THAT?" Negan bounces. "I just killed one of my own fucking guys! Anyone else want to give me their input?" He swings his bloodied weapon around, pointing at everyone. "I don't give a flying fuck who you are, if I need to, I'll shut you the fuck down."

 

 

"Now. Where the fuck was I?" Negan pretends. "Oh, right." He pivots, turning around to face Rick, his soul mate, and raises his bat. 

 

 

He hears his son, his lover, and the rest of his family crying. Yelling out, a few of them being knocked down and held there by Negan's men. 

 

 

Rick had just an instant to do it, but it was all he needed. He took in a quick deep breath, face scrunched seriously. And just like that he swinging his hatchet down on his hand. He didn't have time and he didn't want to risk missing completely, but when he feels the pain, and sees the blood, he knows he got it. He's yelling, because hell it hurts, but he can hear Negan hurting as well. Honestly, he didn't know if it would work, but it did. 

 

 

He lifts his hand, bloodied and somewhat mangled hand, but the string is gone. And so are a few of his fingers. That's enough.

 

 

"You dumb shit!" Negan grunts, grabbing Rick and pushing him onto his back. "Simon, you got a rag?" He snaps at his right hand man.

 

 

"Hmm, yeah." Simon tosses him a couple wadded up cloths at his leader.

 

 

Negan wraps it around Rick's hand that is now covered on his own blood. "Keep pressure on this, Prick." Rick does, he's kind of zoning out. "Je-sus! You're a real piece of work. I thought you'd be able to take a joke though. Well. Might have been a joke, I was caught up in the moment." He chuckles. 

 

 

Negan takes the other rag, opening it, and placing the fingers inside it. "Looks like you might be a fourth of a finger short after these are stitched back on, but you'll live. Someone-" He hands out the rag finger bits. "Fucking gross. Thanks."

 

 

Rick barely registers himself being lifted and placed into a vehicle, Negan holding him up, taking a seat beside him in the back. "I'm sure your people can make it back without your guidance. We're leaving them the shitty trailer. Oh. And I'm taking- what the fuck was that guys name?" Negan looks up at Simon, who is in the passenger seat.

 

 

Simon thinks about it then answers. "Daryl."

 

 

"Daryl? Shit, that actually sounds right." The leader of the Saviors grins.

 

 

"Why?" Rick says.

 

 

"Cuz he ain't a bitch like someone I know." Negan says in his ear. 

 

 

Rick doesn't even want to move, speak, or breathe, but he has to know. "No. I'mean, why- this?" Rick lifts his injured hand, pointing out the thing that's not there, but to a finger in some torn up cloth somewhere. 

 

 

"Oh, she-it. You wanna know why I decided to- let the cat outa the bag." Negan sighs. "Because I can."

 

 

"Fuck you." Rick spits, but he's out of energy so there's no real fire behind it.

 

 

"And I couldn't help myself, I needed to see your reaction. And yeah, gotta admit, it was fucking priceless." The man grinned ear to ear. "I also know your people won't respect you, cuz now you ain't shit, now you're mine and everyone knows it." The man sighs. "We're gonna be great pals. Maybe even more." He winks. "You can't fight it, Rick." 

 

 

 

And Rick closes his eyes and sobs. Because he knows he really can't. Just because he severed his hand, hoping to disconnect the thread that bonded he and Negan's soul together as one, doesn't mean anything. It didn't do shit. He still felt his soul, deep inside of him, blooming at how near he was to his other half. It didn't matter if he wanted it or not, it wasn't his choice. Negan, the man who murdered two of his friends, tortured him, broke him, and ruled this world, was his soul mate. 

 

 

Negan had to be killed. Rick would take the pain of losing half his soul over this. He'd sell his whole soul to the devil if he had to. Because this was hell.

**Author's Note:**

> Dang, this is the longest single chapter I've ever written. I tend to struggle after a certain point, which I did near the end of this... endings. Curse you.  
> Whelp, here's my quick fic. I should really get a work on my WIPs lol
> 
> Or sleeping...
> 
> weinsanedreamer I'd be lying if I said your playlist didn't help me write this, especially the song Closer (Epic Trailer Version) [feat. Keeley] so thaaaanks!!


End file.
